Elastic fluid turbines



March 22, 1960 H. G. YATES ELASTIC FLUID TURBINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Nov. 18, 1953 March 22, 1960 H. G. YATES 2,929,218

ELASTIC FLUID TURBINES Filed Nov. 18, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 22, 1960 H. c. YATES ELASTIC FLUID TURBINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 18, 1953 March 22, 1960 H. G. YATES ELASTIC FLUID TURBINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Nov. 18, 1953 March 22, 1960 H. G. YATES ELASTIC FLUID TURBINES 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed NOV. 18, 1953 lllII/IIIIIIIJI '11]!!! A ELASTIC FLUID TURBINES Henry George Yates, Riding Mill, England, assignor to The Parsons and Marine Engineering Turbine Research and Development Association, Wallsend, England Application November 18, 1953, Serial No. 392,842

Claims priority, application Great Britain January 29, 1953 l. Claims. (Cl. 60-102) This invention relates to elastic fluid turbines and more particularly to such turbines intended'to operate at hightemperatures.

In the design of elastic fluid turbines, particularly for operating at high temperatures, it is necessary to provide means for supporting the turbine in the correct relation ship to the shaft which it drives. It is also desirable to support the hearings in which the rotor is journalled in such a way that the rotor is maintained concentric with the longitudinal axis of the turbine at all times, and nevertheless, to ensure that the heated parts of the, turbine are free to expand as required by the operating temperature of the different parts. i

Various ways to achieve these objects are known, many of them embodying the location of one member in'relation to another by means of mating surfaces capable of relative sliding and located against relative motion in certain directions by means of keys or pins.

It is an object of the present invention to enable the desired conditions to be attained with a reduced number of such means of support and in a fashion suitable for easy construction.

The invention consists in an elastic fluid turbine embodying features as set forth in the claims appended hereto.

Referring to the accompanying diagrammatic drawings:

Figure 1 is a perspective sketch illustrating one convenient construction embodying the present invention;

Figure 2 is an elevational view of this construction with top outer cover removed;

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional elevation thereof;

Figure 4 is a plan view at the horizontal joint thereof;

Figure 5 is a sectional view on the line VV of Figure 4; and

Figure 6 is a sectional view on the line VI-VI of Figure 4.

In carrying the invention into effect according to one form by way of example as illustrated in Figures l-6, elastic fluid at high pressure and temperature is admitted to an inner barrel a, a split at b for convenience of assembly, this barrel being supported within an outer casing c, 0' also split of which the bottom half 0' is of approximately rectangular form, the inner barrel being open at its exhaust end d in order that fluid may be discharged directly into the outer casing c, c and thence by a suitable pipe (not shown) to the inlet duct e of a low pressure turbine 1 which expands the fluid to a still lower pressure. The inner barrel a, a is supported within the outer casing by sliding palms g, g with suitable locating keys in the known manner.

The bottom half 0' of the outer casing is composed of two vertical parallel side plates h, h, two vertical parallel end plates i, i and a base plate j, these members being connected together by welding.

The base plate jis furnished with extension j" and the side plates 11, h with extensions k, k, m, m that are rendered comparatively flexible by the provision of suit- 2,929,218 i Patented Mar. 22, 1960 V 2 able triangular openings such that one vertical edge of each opening runs parallel to the adjacent end wall of the casing and close to it and a second horizontal edge extends close to the lower edge of each side plate extension.

The ends of the side plateextensions are provided with feet It and 0, 0' which may rest on a suitable seating, the feet at one end being preferably fixed, while those at the other end are "-allowed freedom of longitudinal motion, either by sliding onthe seating or by furnishing the seating with sufficient flexibility in the longitudinal direction toaccommodate-axial expansion of the side plates. This expansion, however, is not great, since the side plates are only subjected over part of their length to comparatively cool fluid at the temperature at which the fluid leaves the turbine. I

The extensions 1'', j of the base plate jhave three triangular openings, p, p; p" and q, q, q", two of each set disposed near the side edges of the bottom plates and the third (p', q) centrally disposed, all three openings having apices near the mid point of the lower edge of the adjacent end wall i, i. I

By this means the four upper corners of the lower casing c are connected'to the turbine feet by solid plates, whereas the four'lowe'r corners are connected to them by comparatively slender bars capable of bending sufficiently to accommodate thermal expansion of the casing without overstress. At the same time the mid point of the lower edges of the end walls i, i of the casing is maintained on the longitudinal centre line of the turbine. The great strength of the side plates h, h and their longitudinal deflection in the vertical direction ensures that the struc ture is very rigid against-torsional deflection about any axis parallel to the longitudinal turbine axis, and this in conjunction with the action of the base plate, already described, retains thelongitudinal axis of the turbine in its correct position.

The bearings r, r" in which the rotor r is journalled are carried on transverse beams s, s arranged between the longitudinal extensions of the side plates with a slight clearance to allow lateral motion of the side plates due to thermal expansion. The transverse beams are slung from positions near upper edges of the side plate extensions by plate slings t, t', u, a lying in planes parallel to those of the main side plates. The plate slings are attached at their lower edges to the transverse beams, conveniently by welding, and permit lateral expansion of the side plate extensions relative to the transverse beams but are very rigid against relative motion in any other direction.

In order to maintain the bearing co-axial with the turbine, horizontal keys v, v are provided in a well known manner on the sides of the transverse beams s, s' respectively adjacent to the end walls of the turbine, lying in a vertical plane containing the turbine axis. These keys engage vertical keyways w, w provided on the end walls i, i of the outer casing, and serve to provide correct lateral location of the bearings relative to the turbine axis.

It is sometimes desirable to provide further turbine blading carried on the same rotor beyond one of the bearings but housed in a separate casing. This blading may be arranged for either the same or opposite direction of rotation as the main turbine blading, but is frequently designed as an astern turbine. The casingof such further turbine f may conveniently be supported by trunnions x, x journalled in the side plate extensions near their upper edges, and located against axial or transverse movement by a vertical pin y carried in a boss 2 arranged on 'lhe, end walls. i, i are, formed of, steel platesuhaving central conical portions adapted to carry gland housings 2, 3. Conveniently steam isltadmitted to the inner barrel of the;maintur bineaby; atyer-ticallpipe 4 andzbeneath the turbine, this, pipe passing-t through a hole in the bottom;

plate L the-space: between the pipe and tlre wall-.ofthehole being gsealed bya. fiexibleldiaphragm platei or other convenient means.

The-\main-side-plates. areaprov-ided with "suitable flanges at their upperedges, by which the upper half casing may bezattached to" the lower half. Thesefianges may if desiredabe extended over. the longitudinal extensions of the: sides,plates, providedtthat-athe side plates themselves have. suflicient vvflexibility; in 5 a= lateral:di rection =to ,accommodate; lateral expansion; otthei turbine-by slightbending; of the; side platesv about:.longitudinalt-axes neanthein-loweredges.

.In; the above arrangement the; cutting away of tri-. angular: openings;,-in.the1side platet-and-base plate 'effee! part of thessaidsrigiistructure, ,rsaidsbase. plate and side plates having substantially coplanar extensions projecting from the said rigid structure-beyond the end plates thereof and possessing a substantial degree of flexibility in directions at right angles ftosthe-l longitudinal axis of the turbine, and means for supporting said plate extensions at points 'spaceid'i'fr'omrthe said .end platesfor: thereby supbeing located laterally; clearancefor "expansionbeing-protively leaves the outer casing united to the main feet:by1iangle sections. If desirable; theslowewextensions,of"the side plates may-be combined vwitb the extensions ofithe; bottom platepinto singlememberswextending-axially; but: By this meansasingle plate is arranged at right angles toaalline; drawn from the turbine axis to the bottom'lcorner-of the;

having their planes: inclined to vthe horizontal.

outencasing In-sometcases it.-.maygbe,desirable-,to augment the coo1 ing; oftthe.sideplateand bottom platei'extensions,ezgg,

byproviding. closely, spaced. ribs) 6- toi'increase; radiant and, convective cooling; coolingeoils-encircling 5thezpartst: adjacent to" the hot :casing or passages for cooling; fluid the external.

in the body ohthe: wallextensions near. casing.

Iclaim:

1. In an, elastic fluid .turbine;-. and in split inner barrel, a rotor within the barrel, an. outer casing encircling-'andaspaced apart from said barrel; said barrel having an exhaust openingcommunicatingdirectly with the space between said barrel-and said casing, bearings external to the casing supporting the rotor, support-r ing means between said casing and saidbarrel; the'lower portion" ofsaid-'casing comprising, two vertical parallel side plates, two vertical parallel-end plates and azbase plate;,these plates being united to forma rigid-structure andasaid supporting; means: being; Supported :bythe-upper combination; a;

videcL.betweenithe ends rof-r the. beams and; the said beams. comprising means for carrying the sideplates androtor' bearing journals. a

4. An .elasticgfiuid turbineasclaimedain: claim 1 including-ta further and. separate turbinecasing, trunnions jpurnalled in two neighboring said-side plate extensions neantheirsupper edges for. snpportingesaidifurther casing, andja vertical pin; carried rintatbosstarranged, onthe centre; liner of.,a.. bottom r plate: extensiontengagingz withw ahole; insaisnitable facing providedaatrthes bottom of said fur-- ther.. casing ser v ing to: locate said r further; casing against axial and transverse movements,

5,.An.elastic fluidsturbineias claimedin claim 1 cmbodying meansfor, augmenting cooling, comprising closely spaced; ribs on. said sidesplates-t toincrease. radiant. and:

convectiyemooling,

ReferencessCited in the tile of -thispatent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,79l",6$7" Brown Feb. 10, 1931 2,364,961 Durham .Dec.i 12, 1944 2,f 5 31,'l78' Van Nest -Nov. 21, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 448,402 GreatrBritainr. June 8; 1936 612,133 Great Britainz... Nov. 9, 1948 

